#yennefer I don't blame you

[rusty25]

as a trans man I too would sacrifice my uterus to get the body of my dreams through dark magic

[perseruna]

Endiness made a beautiful long post with all his quotes on that topic that I think is very informative and worth looking at, so here’s a link to that. And with that already discussed, I thought I’d make a thread of all his changes that we are aware of, because when you look into them, you find that none of his “book accurate” changes are actually book accurate. 

His decision to make Geralt grunt and cut his lines.

HC: "All the grunts, I either added or I didn't say anything and just grunted instead. It was often up to the other actors to go, 'I think he's not gonna say anything now.'"

JB: "Henry likes to cut his lines, 'cause he's lazy. No, he literally just likes to cut them. He likes to do more up here [frames his face with his hands] and just with face and hmms and grunts. There's a lot of hmms, and so I often have to take a lot of his lines and turn it into a lot of my stuff so that the plot happens."

So, as everyone who has read the books knows that Geralt is and always has been a yapper. Gerakt often talks or thinks in monologues, and definitely not in short grunts.

Of course when the audience started making fun of Geralt for not being able to speak in full sentences Henry promptly went back on admitting the blame and instead said that the big bad writers were the ones who didn't give him lines, and now it was his life’s mission to fight for a book accurate Geralt who speaks. 

Roach’s death scene

After S2 came out, Lauren received a lot of backlash for Roach’s death scene, with multiple sources citing that she wanted the moment to be more “comedic” before the brave Henry Cavill stepped in and refused to participate in such horrible anti source material activities.

LH: "Henry was so unhappy with the line. Finally I said, 'You know what, you come up with something. I trust you, you know this material so well, you know the book so well, you don't even have to pitch it to me.' And he came back the next day with a beautiful speech that's at the end of 'Sword of Destiny' when Geralt is facing death.”

This is the line he ended up using:

“Enjoy your last walk across the meadow and through the mist. Be not afraid of her for she is your friend."

This was Lauren’s response AND the original line.

LH: “Here's what was scripted, in homage of the fact that a previous Roach had existed, and another one will exist soon. It's hardly a joke. Henry wanted a longer, more emotional moment, which I was more than happy to give him. Don't create drama where none exists.”

So in S2 Geralt ends up quoting a part of his monologue from ‘Sword of Destiny’ when he’s at his lowest after thinking that Yennefer had died at the battle of Sodden Hill, and he has nothing left to live for. Which to me doesn't work that well with Roach at all. That line was a response to Geralt thinking he's lost the love of his life, not his horse. In my opinion, the original line Lauren penned out is more heartfelt and actually more emotional and more book accurate as well.

The absolute removal of any Triss and Geralt “romance”

This one we don’t have that much information on in comparison to others. But there were multiple reports that at the beginning of S2 Triss and Geralt were supposed to have some kind of a romantic scene with each other which then was cut during production, and it was largely speculated that it was due to Henry Cavill. 

“Several months ago we reported on a sex scene happening between Geralt and Triss, sometime in the first half of Season 2. That didn’t happen, as we all saw, but here’s what we know about the original plan for that: Geralt and Triss are in a room together, they seem friendly at first. They are playing some kind of weird game. Whoever wins a round, gets to ask a question. We’re not privy to the exact flow of the conversation, but it eventually leads to both of them ending up in bed. We can only guess why this was cut, but perhaps it was thanks to Henry Cavill.”

Now, irrelevantly on your feelings on book Triss and Geralt you have to admit that that short-lived “romance” is indeed a part of the books and therefor book accurate. So the removal of it would go against Mr I’m fighting to make this show as much book accurate as possible. 

The removal of the Yen and Geralt sex scene in S2

"We just wanted to be very careful that it was true and real, and it didn't turn into something that we, as actors, didn't believe it should be," Cavill stated. When Yennefer and Geralt unite, they embrace, but it doesn't go further than that. He continued: "We wanted it to be emotional rather than sexual. It was really, really important, and we had to lean away from what was originally on the page." Initially, Geralt and Yennefer were written to have a more passionate night. Henry Cavill and Anya Chalotra went to "The Witcher" producers and explained why they thought a steamy evening was not the way to go. "These are people who believe one thing about the fate of another and then find out something else is true," Cavill said about Geralt believing Yennefer was dead. "That's not how they behave," the actor added. "How they behave is they just want to be with the person and emotionally recognize their existence again in that shared space.”

This one is a bit tricky because I am willing to get behind an actor who doesn't want to do a sex scene out of comfort reasons or whatnot, but Henry saying that "That's not how [Yennefer and Geralt] behave”, is quite absurd in my opinion. Because that is very much how Geralt and Yennefer behave, especially in the short stories and ToC. They are inherently a very sexual couple who come crashing in and out of each other’s lives while having very passionate sex. But I can understand wanting this scene to be more “emotional” (as if sex isn't emotional), so this one I am willing to give him a bit more leeway on. (But then again looking at the blinds saying that he refused any sex scenes because oh his “ideals” and was allegedly really nasty to Anya about it, well..)

Geralt being the perfect father figure to Ciri with no flaws and no struggles (which inevitably snowballed into the Yen Betrayal Arc)

This one I don’t see talked that much at all, and to me this one is his most detrimental one. 

@LHissrich: “In interviews, Henry explains how he felt strongly that Geralt NOT be bumbling, nor a struggling father figure. In fact, a lot of S2 is about how Geralt does come from a loving (albeit unconventional) family. Henry was passionate about this shift, and we discussed it a lot, and ultimately thought it was wonderful for his character development. But it also had the domino effect of changing what Ciri needed from Yen when she entered the picture. Thus, introducing the idea of balance.”

So I don’t know about you, but I love when characters have flaws and naturally progress be it for good or bad, some would say that that's what story telling is about, well that someone wouldn't be Henry Cavil. Geralt being a struggling father figure at first, someone who makes mistakes and learns from them and tries is very much a prominent theme in Blood of Elves and is actually very real, people make mistakes! Especially in huge shifts such as “becoming a father overnight’ but we didn't get that because Henry refused to play it that way. What we got is Geralt who already basically knows exactly how to parent, he always knows what to say, what pep talk to give and also doesn't hold any resentment and any negative feelings towards Vesemir at all. It's all one dimensional happy family here! Which goes against not only the books but what he preached about fighting tooth and nail to make the “forgotten” male characters three-dimensional as well because the horrible feminist Lauren only thinks about female characters. 

Lauren then goes on saying that “it also had the domino effect of changing what Ciri needed from Yen when she entered the picture. Thus, introducing the idea of balance” So, it is fair to speculate that Henry’s refusal to showcase Geralt having any flaws at all and act book accurate snowballed into The Controversial Yennefer Betrayal Arc. 

These are the ones that I can remember off the top off my head, so there might be more, there’s probably more that we aren’t even aware of. I think putting them all together showcase a very interesting picture. One of Henry Cavill never actually understanding who Geralt fundamentally is as a character, and of him not being a team player at all. I just hope that more and more people are aware of the insane PR his team did for him when it came to this show, and that more people are able to see through it. 

[wolvesandfoxes25]

"You should leave."

Jaskier looked up quickly from where he was writing lyrics.

"I beg your pardon?"

Geralt wasn't looking at him, eyes facing the adjacent side of the hut.

"Leave for Oxenfurt...or Redania. Find that Prince you fucked."

Jaskier felt his stomach lurch.

How did he know about that?

Clearing his throat, he shoved his booklet into his coat.

"I'm not sure what you're playing at Geralt, but I've no intention of leaving."

He was still facing away.

"You're wasting your time here. I'm sure the noble could provide you with many adventures."

The words came out sardonically and snappish.

Jaskier felt whiplash at the statement.

"We enjoyed our time together. Until afterwards." He mumbled the last part, feeling the same dreg of anger at Radovid come to the forefront. Even if he had apologized, it hadn't changed what he'd done.

What Jaskier hoped he wouldn't do.

He wasn't looking to marry the man, but a romance that was his, where he wasn't pining and panting after someone who would never love him, well, it would've been nice.

"Cut from the same cloth, I bet you did." Geralt growled.

Jaskier furrowed his eyebrows.

"And just what do you mean by that?"

Silence.

"You've no right to judge me based on my dalliances, Geralt."

How had the conversation come to this point?

"Dalliance?" Geralt asked, eyes finally turning to Jaskiers.

The brunette looked sideways, being pinned under the weight of those eyes had always been too much for him.

"Where did you learn this anyway?"

Silence.

The dryads were little gossipers then.

"You cared for him." Geralt grit out.

Jaskier pinched his lips together, feeling as if this were an interrogation.

Silence.

Sighing loudly, Jaskier turned his gaze back to the Witcher.

"It felt nice. With him, I felt I was actually being seen. He learned my songs, even if knowing them was just for nefarious reasons. I-I was... lonely. Being back in the thick of this isn't always easy."

Geralt took in his expression his nostrils flaring.

"It used to be."

Jaskier blanched.

That was before Yennefer was everywhere.

He couldn't blame Geralt and Yennefer for their feelings for each other. But, it wasn't easy to always have it in his face.

"Age tends to change things." He murmured, hoping the other man believed the lie.

Geralt grunted.

Guess not.

Jaskier felt the tension in the room thicken.

"Had I known you went for poncey little Princes, I would have left you at a royal court to do their bidding long ago."

Knashing his teeth together, Jaskier stood up in a furious flourish.

"I don't know why you're being such a bloody bastard to me, but I'm not your punching bag, Geralt! Those days are over! Do you understand me?"

The Witchers eyes flashed and he pulled himself up into a piteous representation of sitting up.

"Fuck you."

Jaskier hissed.

"Fuck me? Fuck you." He fired back at Geralt.

What was happening right now? Why was Geralt behaving this way?

The two of them stared each other down.

"I don't know how you can sit there and have the bleeding audacity to berate me over a potential partner."

The golden eyes narrowed.

"Meaning?" He hissed.

Jaskier felt the anger start to build higher and higher.

"You have your great romance! Yennefer! Your sweet little family! Then there's me, who you tossed away like yesterdays porridge!"

Geralt moved to get up, but hissed at the pain.

"Don't do that, you idiotic lump of a man!" Jaskier chided him, moving to shove him back.

Geralt pushed him away, catching his breath to gather himself to his feet.

"Yennefer healed me, I told you that." He snapped, flinging his cane away.

Jaskier watched him sway, but he rolled his shoulders, catching himself.

"But we both know your leg is still giving you trouble, Geralt."

The Witcher glared.

"Easy to leave then, huh? Just like you did on the mountain."

Jaskiers jaw dropped, feeling his balance shift at the fury that ran through him.

"You have the unmitigated, bleeding gall to say that to me? You blame me!?" He yelled.

Geralt scowled, looking away from him in what seemed like shame.

Suddenly... it all made sense.

"You're jealous." Jaskier whispered.

The Witcher moved to leave the hut but Jaskier grabbed his arm to halt him.

Geralt growled.

"How in all the hells are you jealous? You have never expressed anything regarding romantic affections towards me. Ever."

"All those women you were constantly fucking was supposed to tell me otherwise?" Geralt replied sarcastically.

Jaskier threw his hands up in frustration.

"You could've asked me!"

Geralt said nothing as the other man set his hands down upon the bedding of the cot.

"You have got to be the most stubborn, burlish lout I have ever met in my existence upon this earth."

Silence.

"You have no idea how I fe-."

But he stopped himself, the words clogging his throat.

The truth he had figured long long ago. And had told no-one, not Vespula, not the Countess, nobody.

Yennefer had probably guessed after hearing his song in the tavern, but said nothing in reference to it.

Thank the Gods.

"I don't want to continue this conversation further. If you want me to fucking leave so badly, I'll leave. And I'll go back to Radovid and suck his cock in his pretty little throne room. Would that make you happy, Geralt?" He snarled, shoving past him to get some air outside, when a hand clamped over his wrist...

TBC?

[annmarcus63]

Coën tells Vesemir that he saw something remotely large flying over the old stronghold to the west. Everyone but Geralt is thrilled. Apparently, they've been waiting for an opportunity like this, a chance to take Ciri with them to fight her very first beast as a witcher trainee. 

Lambert, Cöen, Geralt, Ciri and Yen are getting ready to take off the very next morning when Geralt asks Jaskier if he wants to come too. Jaskier tries to hide his surprise under a nonchalant facade, but he can't fool the witcher. The bard accepts the offer not a second later. It seems that his strategy is working after all, Geralt never asked if he wanted to come on a hunt before. It seems, Jaskier thinks with a lump on his throat, that he was in fact the problem after all. 

It's a short walk to the stronghold. Ciri observes the witchers track the beast, she's a fast learner. Jaskier watches too from an unobtrusive safe distance. Until all goes to hell. A royal archgriffin followed by its mate lands on the field taking everyone by surprise. Someone starts shouting orders, one archgriffin traps Lambert under its claws. It's a complete chaos. Suddenly the earth starts shaking, a roar swipes the air, Jaskier's blood goes cold when he sees a big ugly horned creature bolting from the trees. A chort. The new arrival takes everyone by surprise. Ciri ends up cornered by the chort, she has nowhere to go. Geralt is too far away; Yennefer is helping Lambert and Cöen; Ciri has lost her sword and the beast is about to bolt towards her. He acts without thinking. Nothing can't happen to her, he won't let it, even if it feels like he's running to his death. Geralt won't care, but he will if it's Ciri, he'd blame himself. It'd be Renfri all over again.  He won't let it happen. Jaskier shouts with all his might while grabbing Ciri's sword from the grass where she dropped it. He grabs the sword with both hands and plunges it into the beast's rear. Not used to handling swords, his hands slip through the blade, he feels the skin of his palms opening, like butter under a hot knife, followed by a river of blood. Someone it's shouting his name; he thinks it may be Ciri. The chort roars annoyed and turns to the bleeding bard. 

It happens in an instant. He is thrown through the air; a flash of pain explodes in his chest and grows to a cruel entity. He wishes for death.

 

-

He wakes up with a gasp followed by a groan of pain. It seems he's back at Kaer Morhen.

Not dead, then, he thinks with a hint of remorse. 

Triss is there in an instant. The witchers summoned her to help heal him, apparently, he was (is) in a very horrifying shape. He asks her for Ciri and the others, she says everyone is well, just a few bumps and bruises. Jaskier feels relieved.

"You were dead for a couple of minutes" Jaskier doesn't know what to say so he settles for thanking her for saving him. He has two broken ribs and a few more cracked, breathing is an utterly painful experience, but Triss' concoctions help a little. His hands are bandaged, Triss says they need a lot more healing, but she reassures him that he'll be able to play again. In time, at least. 

"I've never seen Geralt like that" she says suddenly "He- he said he couldn't feel you." Jaskier doesn't reply, he's rather immersed in the movement of her hands changing his chest bandages. 

"I didn't know you two were..." 

"No one knows." Says Jaskier feeling tired, body and soul. 

As if sensing the sadness in Jaskier's heart, Triss adds “He was scared.” 

"He would be fine."

"You're his soulmate, Jaskier. I don't think that he’d be fine.” 

"I have never been his soulmate." The bard flinches at his own bitterness. "I've only been a friend. A traveling companion." He corrects. 

“Jaskier…”

"He was never meant for me. Destiny must have got it all wrong, the mark on Geralt's arm should be Yennefer's not mine." He doesn't know why he's saying that to her. Maybe it’s the shock or it’s the pain, but he wants to tell someone, anyone, about another kind of pain he's been carrying all these years. He is crying, Triss hands him a tissue and smiles in a reassuring way.

Jaskier cries silently with intervals of gasps of pain, while Triss finishes his bandages and hands him a cup of fresh water. Jaskier thanks her in a quiet whisper. 

"I couldn't make him happy anyway" he wipes the tears from his eyes and finds that his hands are shaking "She does. She really does." 

"I never take you for the self-sacrificing type" says Triss holding one of his hands and squeezing. He wants to hug her, but refrains from doing so due to her broken ribs.

"I'm not" he clarifies "I'm just realistic. How could Geralt want someone like me when he has her?" 

After a few seconds of silence she says "You are enough, Jaskier." 

He wants to laugh, to disagree but refrains from it. He's only a bard, after all.

There's a knock at the door. They turn at the same time. It's Geralt, he's holding a bowl of stew in one hand and a single yellow flower on the other, and looking at Jaskier with an expression the bard can't quite decipher. 

Jaskier feels his cheeks blushing. Fucking idiot, he must have heard his pathetic monologue. 

"Can I talk to him?" He says to Triss. She stands and says "Of course." She leaves hurriedly, leaving the two staring at each other. Something heavy lies between them.

This is it, Jaskier thinks, this is where my heart will break for good.

Previous here

Next and final

As promised to dear @youknowwhoiam3490-blog (excited for your positive aggressive reading)

@mordoriscalling @dustbunnyprophet @chispy-rar-v2 @strangerzaiah

@help-help-i-need-an-adultlt

@janjan-the-ninth (not a 20 chapter fic but well…)

[senseless-writing]

Mountain Top Confessions

Pairing: Geralt of Rivia x child!reader

Summary: Taking place in S1.E6, the little girl that Geralt took under his wing all those years ago isn't so little anymore. After overhearing something she wasn't supposed to while he and Yennefer argued about the quest to find the golden dragon, the witcher is forced to have a conversation with Orion that he'd been hoping to push off for as long as possible.

Warnings: Hurt feelings, talk of regret, death, etc. Really nothing much

A/N: Here's a story for a trope that's not in demand that nobody asked for, and yet I couldn't help but write! I actually wrote this forever ago and completely forgot about it, but I saw it today and thought I should share it even if it's only in self-service. Lemme know what you think!

Just so you know, this story exists within the world of the other Witcher stories I've written with the oc!character Orion. There are some references to those stories or Orion's life with Geralt in general, but I don't think it's completely necessary to read anything to understand this one.

Masterlist

-----------------

“Did you mean it? What you said to Yennefer?” 

Geralt sighed, his entire body sagging with the release. After his fight with the enraging sorceress who always seemed to find a way under his skin, he had no energy left for anything more. Least of all a defiant tween. 

He turned to look at Orion, who was stepping out from behind the tree from which she was hiding. The Witcher blamed his scattered emotions for the failing of his normally heightened senses. 

“You weren’t supposed to hear any of that…I told you to stay with Jaskier.”

“But did you mean it?” She asked again, stoically, without meeting his gaze. Geralt couldn’t tell what was going through her head. These days, he never could. 

When Orion was little, and her favorite place in the whole world was Geralt’s arms, the witcher didn’t have to worry about finding the right words to say. All he had to do was hold her, and it was like anything and everything that worried her little head would disappear. 

At first, Geralt detested this part of guardianship. It made him feel like a witcher turned cuddler and coddler, and he could feel Vesemir’s disapproving glare from all the way across the Continent. After giving it some thought, though, he figured it was probably for the best. Those who truly knew him knew how verbose he could be, but witty remarks and philosophical ponderings never meant too much to a six year old. 

But now his Orion was twelve. Her eyes were forever wide, never shutting for the fear of missing something worth learning. And she had so many questions that Geralt alone was in charge of answering. He couldn’t wrap her in his arms anymore and pretend the Continent wasn’t confusing or dangerous. He owed her answers, and she deserved his words. 

Geralt hesitated for only a moment. The truth was unfortunate and uncomfortable, and he’d hoped to not have any conversations resembling the one they were about to have until she was older. But it was too late for that now, and he wouldn’t lie to her. 

“Yes.”

Before he could so much as explain, Orion was already rushing away, quickening her steps to meet up with the rest of the group. 

“Wait-”

She didn’t listen.

“Orion. Wait!”

He jogged forward, grabbing her arm and twisting her around to face him. She ripped herself from his grasp at once. Her face was stone cold, but still present were the hints of a curled top lip and the flash of barred teeth.

She looked so much like him when she did that. It nearly made his head spin. 

He cocked his head to the side a little, a warning for her to check her attitude. She didn’t take it.

“Will you let me explain?” he said with an even tone. 

“Explain what? That you regret taking me in?" The powerful rage in Orion's voice was not enough to mask what Geralt knew was lying underneath: deep, overwhelming hurt. "Well, you know what, no one held a knife to your throat and made you! If you didn’t want me, you should’ve done something about it!”

“That is not what I said.”

“You said-”

“Orion!” he shouted, and the child’s mouth clamped shut at once. She could count on one hand the amount of time he’s raised his voice at her. “What I said was that taking you in taught me, more than anything else, that raising a child is not something to be taken lightly. It’s a lesson that Yennefer could benefit from learning.”

The girl bit her lip and wrapped her arms tightly around her middle. “You said raising me taught you that your life isn't suited to a child. That implies regret.” 

“I do have regrets,” he agreed, and he noticed the flicker of insecurity in her gaze. He felt like an ass for putting it there. “Do you want to know why?” 

Orion stayed silent, and he suspected she didn’t want to know at all. He was going to tell her anyway. 

He spoke his next words very softly. “Every minute of every day, I regret not being able to give you the life you deserve.” 

That clearly wasn’t the answer she was expecting. He could tell from the immediate wrinkle of her brow. 

“What?”

He sighed again, averting his eyes to the group behind her. They were making a steady pace up the mountain. And Jaskier, with his slightly codependent nature, kept turning back every few steps to check on his travel companions. Apparently, their yelling was loud enough to attract the attention of even the loudest of bards. 

Their eyes locked, and Geralt nodded once to let him know that everything was alright. Or, at the very least, that it would be. Jaskier didn’t look convinced, but he gave a defeated shrug and turned back around to continue walking. The witcher hesitantly directed his eyes back to Orion, who seemed to be frozen in a state of confusion. 

“Geralt, I don’t understand any of this.” 

“Our life on the path isn’t normal, Orion. You think it is, because it’s all you’ve ever known, but it’s not.”

“I know tha-”

“No, you don’t. You grew up hiding from monsters that most humans never see in their lifetime. By the age of eight, you were well versed in the art of ignoring those on the streets who throw stones as you walk by. And that's…that's not a reflection on you, it’s a reflection on me.”

“But-”

“I’m not telling you this to make you feel bad about the cards you’ve been dealt. It’s the same way I was raised, it’s all I know. But witchers are a dwindling species for a reason, and the last thing I wanted was to make you a part of our ranks. I never wanted you to be like me.” 

“But I did! I’ve always wanted to be like you.”

Geralt wasn’t sure how to respond to that. He opened his mouth to try, but all that came out was a confused grunt. With a tilted head and lifted brow, the witcher sat there in silence as he struggled to understand. 

How was it possible that after all this time, his sweet, open-hearted Orion still didn’t believe what he knew to be true? He wasn’t the man she thought he was, and the longer she failed to realize that, the longer she would spend wandering blind in the dark. 

Orion took a few steps closer until they were an arms length away. It always shocked the witcher when he noticed how big she had gotten, how much she had changed from the little girl he used to know. “Geralt, people throw rocks at us because they’re afraid of what they don’t understand. You’re the one who told me that.”

“I did, didn’t I?” he averted his eyes. “What was I thinking?” 

Orion’s lips lifted in half a smile.“And people die everyday because they don’t know how to hide from monsters. Most humans don’t even recognize the signs for when one is around. I have a leg up on all of them.” 

“But you wouldn’t be around monsters as often as you are if it wasn't for me.” 

“I wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for you,” she reminded him sharply. “If you hadn’t found me, I’d probably still be sitting at the entrance of Kaer Morhen. A pile of bones withering to dust.” 

“Don’t say that!” Geralt snapped. His sudden change in tone shocked Orion to her very core, as it was a fiery anger that she'd never before heard directed at her. His eyes were wild and rabid as he stared at her, his entire body tense and shaking. To her, it was an extremely paradoxical image; he'd somehow managed to look terrified and terrifying at the same time.

The witcher had to squeeze his fists to stop himself from saying something he might regret. It wasn’t Orion he was mad at. If anything, it was himself.

Because the idea of his child going through a life-or-death situation should have been something he could only imagine. It should have been a distant nightmare, something that tortured his sleep but eased away once he awoke and realized it was only a figment of his imagination. 

Except that it wasn’t. Not for him. Orion had looked death in the eyes more than he could possibly count, and Geralt was the one leading her directly to it. 

“Don’t,” he repeated again in a clipped tone. “Don’t say things like that. You’re here with me because I made a choice. And while I may regret the implications of that choice, don't ever insinuate, even for a second, that I don’t want my child.” 

Orion was used to him calling her his. And she was, in all the ways that mattered. But it was always still a shock to her heart when he did. 

If Geralt noticed her reaction, he didn’t show it. “You needed me, and I made a choice,” he continued on. “Just as I made a choice to not do the same with my child surprise.” 

Oh, the infamous child surprise. From the little Orion knew, the whole thing ranked somewhere high on Geralt’s top ten list of the stupidest things he’s ever done. 

She wouldn’t pretend to understand why he was so insistent on ignoring the existence of someone he was connected to. “What if they need you too one day?” she asked. “What then?”

“He’s a prince of the largest and fiercest kingdom in all the North. He’s got people pleading for the honor of wiping his arse. I doubt he needs the help of a lowly witcher.” 

Or she, Orion thought absently. And perhaps a little dreamily. What luck it would be if Geralt was tied to a princess.

“Kingdoms fall everyday, Geralt. You also said that.” 

“Let's stop using my words against me, yeah? I’ll have to start keeping track of what I say around you.” 

Orion didn’t respond, staring back at him with an expectant glare. 

“Orion,” he leveled with her. “If Cintra falls, he’ll have dozens of people whose sole responsibility is to take the sword for him. He’ll be alright.” 

“And you’re sure of that?” Orion implored. “You can sleep peacefully at night knowing that maybe, just maybe, there’s a kid out there who might one day be as helpless as I was? A kid that, unlike me, is entitled to your protection?” 

“The only person entitled to my protection is you.” 

They were at a stand still, and after a moment of nothing but silence and a gentle breeze passing between them, Orion decided to let it go. She didn’t even berate him for ignoring her question. Because truly, she knew the answer already. She knew that every night, when he thought she was asleep, he rose and paced in circles for hours on end. The sound of him incessantly cleaning his swords had become white noise for her throughout the night. In fact, Orion couldn’t remember the last time she actually saw him sleep; really sleep, that is. Because Geralt wasn’t nearly as much of a master at pretending as he thought he was. 

So instead, all she did was try and direct the conversation back to its original topic. If Geralt wanted to be pig headed about the situation he put himself in, then fine. That wasn’t her main concern. 

At least, not right now it wasn’t. 

“Okay, well,” she sighed, struggling to change subjects without making it sound awkward. Suddenly, this whole conversation felt awkward. She felt stupid for being insecure, and she felt even more stupid for bringing up Cintra when she knew he’d shut down. “You don’t have to worry about not giving me the ‘life I deserve,’ or whatever it is you regret. I quite like the one I have.” 

Geralt remembers her saying something to that effect before. She’s probably said it a number of times by now. But it never mattered, never meant anything real to him. It felt too comparable to a mutt saying that it quite liked its cage. 

So he stayed silent. That alone spoke volumes to Orion. 

“You’re never going to believe me, are you?” she groaned with an exasperated tone. “No matter what I say?” 

He gave her an honest look. “It’s not likely.”

Orion surged forward at once, crashing into his chest with a resounding thud. The witcher barely had time to catch himself, but even as he took a step back to regain his balance, his arms were firmly wrapped around her. 

This wasn’t at all how he imagined this conversation going. He could’ve sworn she was mad at him not ten seconds ago. 

She smushed her face tight to his side, and Geralt strained to hear what she said next. “Can you at least try to understand that I want to be here? With you?”

It’s bothering her, he thought to himself as he rested his chin on her head. And she’s too stubborn to let it go. 

“Can you try to understand that I want you here?” he answered her question with one of his own. 

He felt her nod against his chest, which he supposed was enough. Though truth be told, Geralt wasn’t much for changing. 

And unfortunately, neither was Orion. 

He would never forgive himself for his shortcomings. Day after day, mistake after mistake, Geralt looked back and saw all the ways that he could’ve done better at raising her. He wasn’t used to failing at a job; Vesemir had raised him better than that. And in his eyes, caring for the girl in front of him was the ultimate job. 

But he hadn’t been prepared for it. 

And Orion would never be able to ignore the feeling that a part of them was missing. A part of Geralt, really. It was something he refused to acknowledge, refused to accept. It would gnaw at him forever until he did, and the idea of that continued to gnaw at her. 

This painful circle of lies where one swallowed their truth for the sake of the other was tense and never ending, and it was difficult to pretend that they both weren’t craving something that they desperately needed. For Geralt, a chance to start over. A chance to give Orion the family she should’ve had from the beginning, the one he ripped her from when they left Kaer Morhen. And for Orion, something that would ease Geralt’s mind once and for all. 

Years ago, on that day they’d met one another, each of them had been given something new. A different life, a fresh start. It was all they needed back then. But not anymore. 

Ignoring it would get them nowhere. It was clear now, even if neither of them could voice it, that something else was needed. 

Something more.

--------------

(A/N: This ending is definitely catered towards the book fans out there haha)

[artistsfuneral]

part 18

"What really happened to me?" Geralt asks, his voice so deliberately neutral it makes Jaskier sick. Black dots dance across his field of vision. It's getting harder to breathe.

"You asked me to do it. And I didn't want to, of course I didn't want to,” he gasps, “but you told me you'd be fine- You promised- Geralt, you promi-” Jaskier's head falls to the side and hits the ground.

You see, the bard muses, the funny thing about time traveling is that it is very similar to passing out. Jumping through time is as easy as falling unconscious – you don't really have to think about it to do so and the more often it happens the better you get at not hitting your head. The catch though – because even if you're not literally caught there's always a catch, isn't it – is that no matter how many times it happens to you, waking up is always incredibly disorienting. So Jaskier can't really be blamed when he wakes up with his head in Geralt's lap and for a moment thinks that everything is alright again, that they're on the Path, camping somewhere out in the woods waiting for Ciri to join them.

Reality has never been that forgiving, so when the familiar wooziness leaves him it takes Jaskier's wishes and dreams with it. He gratefully accepts the waterskin that Geralt hands him after helping him sit up again and drains it in one go, before solemnly apologizing for passing out on the witcher mid conversation. Geralt doesn't say much at first, but Jaskier can see that there's a lot on the witcher's mind.

The silence between them is uncomfortably heavy and Jaskier can't stand it. Just as he's about to open his mouth Geralt finds his voice again. “It was blood magic.”

Their eyes meet. Geralt's golden orbs dark, almost angry and Jaskier's blue full of surprise. He remembered more. “It was a trap,” Jaskier fills the space in Geralt's thoughts. “The sorcerer was already dead, but Ciri wanted us to look for an artifact she needed. We- We thought it was safe. Good riddance, the place was already dusted over!”

“It made us careless,” Geralt adds, looking lost in his thoughts.

“It was my fault,” Jaskier says, full of anger. “I activated the curse, because I wasn't paying attention, but you-” His eyes met Geralt's again and he shook of anger and despair. “You told me not to worry! You told me you knew what you were doing, that I just had to trust you! And I did, I bloody fucking did because the walls were caving in around us and I was so fucking scared we wouldn't make it this time and I thought I would be fine with it, I thought if I died by your side it would be alright, but I just couldn't stop thinking about Ciri, about Yennefer, about your brothers, our family waiting for us to come home just to be frightened more and more every day we didn't show and I-” He gasps, ringing for breath as his body continues to shake uncontrollably.

“I stabbed you, Geralt. I put a knife through your chest, because you promised me it'd be fine. And I believed you, because you are the love of my life and I trust you to keep us safe.”

remember to like and reblog if you voted :)

Only two more parts 👀

Sooooo for the next story I was thinking you will have to navigate Jaskier through the wilderness to find Kaer Morhen? Eat the berries, Jaskier, it will be fiiiine, Jaskier. (possibly with someone in tow? Ciri, or Aiden? Or maybe a witcher turned into a child? 🤔🤔)

tell me if you (don't) want to be tagged :)

(x) @fingons-rad-harp @sinfulpetgirlrd @wren-of-the-woods @basilikum7 @eveljerome @this-is-not-a-slow-burn @araglas1989 @alaskawho @cinary @swan--writes @mirrorthoughts @chaoticfandomthot @sonatabee @gregre369 @awitcheress @yaskefer @hannibard @myfeelisfunny @kore888 @filledepluie @pathsofpassion @joyfulcherryblossombasement @ryuuhana91 @toapoet @nerdymuffinbonkcloud @ineffably-a-fangirl-99 @starlghtstarbrite @siriusly-the-best-bi @cowboybuttconnoisseur @logastellus21 @chasinggeese @whump-der-it-is @inanoldhousewrites @reluctantbroodingdads @professorjaskier @ourbooksuniverse @life-as-a-gamergirl

[fandom-junk-drawer]

The Witcher Headcanon - Headaches

Geralt is no stranger to headaches. He gets them when he's dehydrated, gone without eating or sleeping for too long, or when Jaskier won't stop talking. He usually just drinks some willow bark tea, or takes one of Yennefer's potions and rides it out. He doesn't really get them often, not like Jaskier does.

Jaskier gets the usual types that humans get. As a bard, he is familiar with hangover headaches. They don't really last that long, surprisingly. After a few hours, the hangover is gone, and Jaskier is ready to inflict another on himself with another round of drinking while entertaining the crowds.

He also gets the I-stayed-up-too-late-working-on-a-song headache.

Geralt is surprised that Jaskier doesn't get those types of headaches more often. Many a time, Geralt had woken up to find Jaskier still awake, well past midnight, frantically scribbling away by candlelight.

"Only work on my songs during the day light hours? Perposterous! When the muses speak, I must listen!"

"Wait until morning?! But the idea is already there in my head!"

"Make a note? Make a f***ing note?"

"Do you even know how inspiration works?"

He's always a real b**tard in the morning after these late nights.

Jaskier whines as they travel, about how his head hurts, and about his eyes hurting, rubbing at them and squinting. He eventually stops complaining, and returns to his cheery self, going back to annoying Geralt for fun by making up silly songs to go with the situation.

Geralt mostly ignores the complaining and the whining. He's used to it by now. He can tell when something is really hurting his bard. It's all in how he complains.

"You okay, Jaskier?" Geralt asked as he watched Jaskier from the other side of the campfire. The bard had been quietly working out a tune, making notes and adjusting lyrics, pausing often to blink his eyes or rub them.

"Yeah, Geralt. My head just...hurts, and my eyes too."

No overly dramatic whining. Uh-oh... Geralt saw how the bard's eyebrows pinched together and he closed his eyes for a second.

"I'll make you some willow bark tea."

Jaskier had nodded and put his notebook away. He'd finished the tea and turned in. He seemed better in the morning and was back to his chatty self.

Hmm...

As the year went by, Geralt noticed Jaskier was getting those random headaches more often, and his eyes kept feeling tired. Geralt said nothing, merely kept an eye on him. Jaskier was squinting more when he worked on his music, and especially when he was copying lyrics and notes from loose pages to his notebook.

He would pause and hold up his page, staring intently at it, sometimes holding it at a distance. Then he would grumble and go back to scribbling.

Jaskier tried to ignore the f***ing sharp pain in his temples that he would get after only a few minutes of working. He tried sitting closer to the fire or use a few extra candles at night. He tried working on his compositions during the day, in the sunlight. His eyes just sometimes refused to focus on the letters, but he didn't seem to have a problem seeing.

He didn't notice that he was slowly having to hold small things farther and farther away from his face. When he did notice, it was right in the middle of patching Geralt up after a contract. It had been quite inconvenient when he'd had to ask Geralt to thread the needle for him first. He'd blamed it on the adrenaline and his shaking hands.

The headaches became an almost daily thing, and Geralt was starting to worry. Adjusting Jaskier's neck didn't help, and Geralt didn't know what else to do. He was getting to the point where he was about to suggest Jaskier see a Healer.

He watched Jaskier trying to write a letter to Yennefer one evening as they rested at an inn. Jaskier wrote her often as he and Geralt traveled the Path, keeping her abreast of their adventures, and indirectly telling her how much he missed her by complaining about Geralt and what an inconsiderate c*ckwomble he was, dragging him all over the Continent, etc.

Jaskier leaned away from the table, head craned back a little, and doing The Eyebrow Thing while he tried to stay close enough to write comfortably. After a few monents, he heaved a quiet sigh and closed his eyes, wincing.

Something in Geralt's brain clicked. Ah, that could be the problem! He pulled out the supply list he'd made earlier and handed it to Jaskier, rumbling casually, "Here's what we need from the market. Is there anything else you want to add to it before I go tomorrow?"

Jaskier held the list out at almost arm's length to examine it.

He did The Eyebrow Thing.

"You can't see it clearly, can you?"

"Of course I can f***ing see it! I just can't tell if that's and 'a' or an 'e'. Your handwriting is sh*t!" *holds paper a little farther away and squints*

Geralt: *takes paper and runs to the opposite side of the room with it* "Can you see it now?"

"You're such an a**hole!"

"And you're having trouble with your eyes, Jask. That's why you're getting so many headaches."

"It's just the late nights and early mornings! My eyes are a little strained!"

"Then what's the list say?" Geralt held the paper up at a normal reading distance. Jaskier glared at him, tried to force his eyes to focus on the writing, then answered sarcastically, "It doesn't say anathin. Paper can't talk, Geralt."

"Don't be a smarta**."

"Fine, ya b**tart! Ah can't f***ing read it that close!" he snapped, Northern accent getting heavier.

Jaskier's tone went from annoyed to anxious, "Geralt...do, do ye think am going blind...?" Geralt was quiet as he thought about that possibility.

He knew there were instances when healthy humans just lost their eyesight to some weird human disease. He tipped Jaskier's head back and looked closely at his eyes. He didn't see any cloudiness, or odd coloring. But that didn't mean it wasn't there. It could just be in the early stages.

Jaskier gripped Geralt's arms abruptly, fear lacing his voice, "Geralt, what if it's what happened to that man at the harvest festival last year?"

Geralt felt a little icecicle of dread slide into his heart. Last year, a young man complaining of a headache had dropped dead in the middle of the harvest festival.

It probably wasn't the same thing, but the tiny seed of doubt had been planted, and Geralt did not want to take the risk.

"Let's go see Yen. She'll take a look at you and find out what's wrong." Geralt contacted Yennefer that night, and arranged for her to meet them on the road.

They found each other on the road outside of White Bridge. Yennefer had rushed, rushed to meet them, and she made sure they both knew it. Geralt saw right past the front she was putting up. She was worried about their bard. She had jumped off her horse and swept up to Jaskier, demanding to know what dumba**ery he'd gotten himself into.

Jaskier had stood there looking like he was considering taking his chances going blind or dropping dead from whatever mysterious disease he was suffering from. A few moments later, after Yennefer had intensely examined his eyes and his head, she was yelling at him for scaring making her waste her time.

Then they were arguing back and forth, insulting each other and carrying on while Yennefer fixed the very minor problem.

"Absurd, absolutely absurd, making me leave my very important work because your dumb a** panics over f***ing age related vision changes!"

"Age related-!"

"You're 40, you kn*b! You're starting to feel your age. Here, hold this! *hands him his open notebook*

*gasps dramatically, goes Northern* "Feel my age-! How dare ya, ya hag! Implying that am old! Remind me again who's over 70--what the h*ll am Ah supposed tae be doing with this?"

"Just hold it right here-!"

Jaskier: *starts moving book away*

Yennefer: *slaps him on the head* "I said right here! Melitele, can't you follow simple directions?"

"But Ah can't read it! It's all blurry-!

Yennefer :*lays her hand on his head and does magic* "Can you see it clearly now?"

"Oh, f**k! Wow, Ah can! And it's so clear! It says...it says, 'F**k you, you mediocre tw*t. P.S. Your eyeliner looks like sh*t, and that shirt is ugly!'" *affronted screeching*

Geralt watched them fuss and cuss at each other while Yennefer made a few adustments to Jaskier's eyesight. They were still quarreling when they set off, escorting Yennefer back to Aretuza.

Geralt sighed. He felt a headache coming on.

[winters-mistress]

let the thunder come

"Drink this." Geralt says, coming over to sit at Ciri's makeshift bedside. It's nothing much, squishy moss and fresh leaves and still moist mud. Ciri looks at him, her attention being drawn from the trees and the stars, her head rolling to meet his eyes.

Geralt holds out the mug of dark tea, and Ciri obediently sips the hot liquid, uncaring of the foul, sharp taste.

"What is it?" She asks, once he has been satisfied that another drop does not remain in the mug.

"Leaves, plants, stuff that'll make you better." He says, as unchatty as ever, sitting his arse back next to her, and he sneaks a glance at her bandaged, bloodied side. "How're you feeling?"

"Alright." She shrugs a shoulder. "It doesn't hurt, that numbing treatment you put on is still working, I guess. How long until it heals properly, and I don't have to rely on faulty magic and tonics?"

Geralt grumbles quietly. "I don't know, a few weeks, maybe? You're not exactly the type of person that follows the rules of the universe." He says, smirking as she squeaks at the ruffle of her hair. She bats him away, and he grins at her. "You're very brave, you know that? Jumping in front of a blade to save Jaskier, you're very brave to do it. And incredibly stupid and short sighted."

Ciri blinks at him. "I would have survived it, he wouldn't have. It seemed a simple enough synopsis." She shrugs. "Is he alright?"

"Shaken, blames himself, drinking himself into a stupor. Much like Lambert, that one." He casts a glance to the drunken bard and the whily witch as they share an awkward silence in front of the fire. Yennefer keeps glancing at Jaskier, while the bard only has eyes for the bottle. "He'll be fine, you both will. Who knows, you might get a couple gifts out of it, next time we pass by a town."

"Anything less than a sword will be a disappointment." Ciri mutters. Geralt scoffs.

"That's my job to provide you with one, mennace. Not his. You'll get some jewels or clothes or some shit like that." He rumbles. "I appreciate your saving him, but next time we're ambushed, do us all a favour and don't jump in front of a blade, hmm?"

"I certainly promise to cut back." Ciri banters, and Geralt growls at her. She smirks, laying back in her makeshift bed. "What's in that? I'm so tired." She complains.

"Must be something in the poppies." He leans down and takes her by the hand, running a thick thumb over the back of her small palm. "Sleep, kid. I'll be right here."

"Promise?"

"Always."

[powerpolyculeshowdown]

Mod's Self Indulgent Polyship Poll

Vote for your favorites!

Geralt/Jaskier/Yennefer:

Not Canon. I'll be honest I never got around to season 3 for some reason, but it doesn't matter cause I've been a shipper since season 1, and season 2 had really good Yennefer/Jaskier moments which strengthened my love for them. Geralt is a lot kinder to Jaskier in the books, I think the way he shows his love is more earnest, but even in the show with his harsh words and major fuck up I still read it as him being in love, he's just an idiot about it. I actually kinda see Jaskier as kind of the glue that unites them, because Yenn and Geralt are a bit emotionally constipated (I don't blame them, they went through some shit in life), and as a poet and a romantic, Jaskier helps with that. On the other hand, him being a mortal, I like to think Geralt and Yennefer are very protective of him! They're a triangle to me.

Georgie/Melanie/Helen Distorion:

Not Canon. Once again, I refuse to separate Georgie and Melanie. Melanie seems to form a very close bond to Helen during the time Jon is in his coma, and sometimes you just fall in love with the monster in your basement, it is what it is! I think it works as both a V with Melanie in the middle or a triangle, seeing as Helen makes Melanie happy and Georgie wouldn't be scared of the Distortion, I could see them eventually falling in love. I imagine Helen would be fascinated by Georgie's lack of fear, and the fascination could grow into fondness and love.

[the-not-so-silent-back-up]

The Love We Choose

Geraskier ModernAU

a big THANK YOU @cherrychapsticksteve for helping me out figuring some stuff out

Summary: Geralt is a Firefighter, but more important he is a single Dad to 4 y/o Ciri. Regularly they go to a cute little Coffeeshop where Jaskier works. And little Ciri is on a mission to help her Dad to find somebody to love.

Chapter - 1 -

Geralt is waiting outside the Kindergarten to pick up his daughter, there are a few other parents who are talking. But Geralt only knows one of them really so he just waits in silence. He has been alone with Ciri for a few months now, but it's still a weird feeling to come home and see Yennefer's desk empty. 

They have loved each other, they really did but he is bound to his hometown and she needed to be flexible and be able to go on Business trips all the time. Geralt believed that after Ciris' birth things would be different, and things were different for a year at best. But then everything went back to the same old routine. Yennefer was in New York or London or Berlin and Geralt sat at home, the only thing that was truly different, Geralt wasn't alone, no there was Ciri, his daughter, his whole world that he needed to protect. 

When Ciri was old enough to go to the Kindergarten Yennefer and Geralt figured out that they needed to go separate ways. Yennefer loves her Job to much, she really was the unpaid intern that made it to the top of this really big Marketing firm. And she isn't a family person, she tried to be one for Ciri, but she was afraid that she will regret that and will blame Ciri for it in the future, and her daughter didn't deserve this. 

So now when Yennefer is in town, the three spend time together as a little family. It wasn't the family Geralt hoped for, but it's real. And some parents might not believe it but they are all really good with this. In the time they spend with Ciri they are really happy, and the phone calls Ciri has with her mother weekly are really good for their relationship. 

Geralt came to the conclusion that having a family that is really happy and working is much better than to force a family together to fit the image everyone has. 

Roach is pulling on the leash, Ciri has to be in sight. This Dog really loved this Child, and she would do anything to protect her. She once growled at a pigeon because it scared Ciri.

"Daddy, Daddy did you know that hedgehogs eat slugs?" 

"No ,I didn't know that, where did you learn this from?" Geralt picked the little backpack up and took Ciris tiny hand. 

"Miss McHall read a book about hedgehogs and there was a list of what they eat. And then in the garden Benni searched for a slug to try it himself, but he didn't find one." 

"Hmm" Geralt didn't know how to reply to that. 

"Daaaad is today a hot chocolate day?"

"sadly not sweetheart, I forgot my wallet at work but tomorrow is a hot chocolate day I promise" 

"Oh Daddy, you really forget everything when I don't remind you" Ciri shakes her head a bit "But this time I wanna try the strawberry pie for real this time"

"I think Benni wanted to impress the girls," Ciri said at the dinner table "with the slug". What a strange topic at dinner. Geralt frowns in surprise.

"He always does those stupid things and then he runs up to the other girls and shows what he did. When Dara and I were spies we saw that." 

Geralt carefully listens to his daughter. 

"I mean finding a slug isn't impressive, and eating one is kinda mean because what will the hedgehog eat ? What you do is impressive Dad, you save people and teach other people how to save people." 

"Thank you darling" Being a Father and a Firefighter isn't always the best mix but everytime Ciri says things like that it makes Geralt so proud.

"Uhm Dad, did you see that woman again, the one you went on a pizza date with?"

"Hmm no, she called me this morning and told me that I am nice but she has some family trouble and needs to focus on her family." 

"Oh okay"

Yeah Geralt had a few dates every now and then. Yeah Ciri is his whole world, but he still is a Human and he misses the Romance in his life. The truth is Geralt hasn't the best dating game. He doesn't know what to talk about, when he doesn't talk about Ciri or his work or his Dog. He doesn't mention his daughter on the first dates, and when they actually reach a second or third date and Geralt tells them he is a single dad, most people refuse to see him again, it's just a big commitment for them. But also some of them just saw the big strong firefighter with all the muscles and not the man behind them and that's when Geralt says this isn't working out. 

Ciri lays awake in bed, she could hear the TV from the living room. For sure her dad is lonely, but all this adult stuff is so confusing. In Kindergarten everything is easier, like you ask someone if you wanna be friends, then they ask you what you like to play and what's your favorite animal and then you are friends. And one day you draw a picture just for them and you are best friends. But adults don't work like that.

"My Dad needs my help to find someone to watch those silly romantic movies." Ciri whispers to herself. And she already has someone in mind and she has a plan, sort of.

The next day Geralt brought Roach back home before he went to pick up Ciri, and he checked for his wallet three times. He waited as usual in front of the kindergarten. Ciri is running right up at him, in her beautiful green dress. This morning they had an argument because Ciri wanted to wear her favorite dress so badly and Geralt was afraid that she would mess it up in the Kindergarten, but as Ciri promised it's all fine and she looks like the little princess she is to Geralt. 

"Hot Chocolate Day!" Ciri is chanting as she is running to her Dad.

"Yes Sweetheart today I am fully prepared for the Coffeeshop."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

The Coffeeshop is near the Park where Ciri's favorite playground is. That's how they discovered it. Geralt pushed Ciri on the swing when a heavy rain surprised them. Geralt covered his daughter under his jacket and ran in the next building he found. The sweet little Coffeeshop at the Park. Geralt liked it because it wasn't that big and not many people fit in there and Ciri loved it because it's near her favorite playground and because they have so many beautiful cups and mugs. 

They arrived at the Coffeeshop and because they already became regulars so they got greeted nicely. At first Geralt didn’t like it that strangers knew Ciri’s name, but he got used to it and the staff here is really nice. 

A young tall man came up to their table and Ciri jumps up and ran towards him 

"Jaskier! Look that’s my favorite dress” 

“Oh hi Ciri it’s really beautiful, you look like a princess” 

Geralt watches the scene with eagle eyes, but he knows Jaskier is no harm for his little girl, he is usually their waiter when they are in the Coffeeshop.

Jaskier lets Ciri twirl around herself, so the pretty green dress starts flying. 

“My Daddy says that too.” Ciri stops spinning.

“Your Daddy says what ?” Jaskier seems to be confused with that statement.

“This morning my Daddy also said that I look like a princess. And when I am a princess my Dad must be a king right?”

“Then lead me to your king, princess Ciri.” 

Jaskier could clearly see Geralt sitting at their favorite spot at the window, but he likes to play along with Ciri’s little games. 

“Your Majesty I present to you, your daughter princess Ciri” Jaskier takes a bow in front of Geralt and Ciri tries to stay in character but could resist a little laugh.

“I have been sent directly from the kitchen to ask what the King and his daughter would like to eat and drink today.”

Geralt is a little lost for words, normally these silly games stay between Ciri and Jaskier, but now he is dragged into it like a theater play and he hasn’t learned his lines. Geralt tries his best to play along because he knows how much it means to his little girl if he does.

“May he bring us hot chocolate and strawberry pie for the princess and mint tea and cheesecake for me the King.” 

Ciri giggles again.

“I like Jaskier he always so funny and nice to us”

“Yeah that is true” 

Geralt stares out of the window, and he just enjoys the quiet coffeeshop. It wasn’t actually quiet but it wasn’t stressful like his day at the fire station. There was a fire near in the forest this morning, just because some stupid assholes had Barbeque last night and didn’t end their fire properly. 

He turns around and on the table are the ordered pies and his tea but no hot chocolate is there and Ciri is gone too. 

Panic runs through Geralt's veins, where is she?  He was just looking away for a second. But then he saw her holding on to Jaskier’s hand as they picked a cup for her hot chocolate. How could he forget that she always picks a new beautiful cup to drink her hot chocolate from. She walked back to her Dad and sat next to him on the bench.

“I picked a cup with stars and the moon on it”

Jaskier walks over to their table and places Ciris cup right next to her pie. 

“I saw there was smoke in the forest, was there a fire?”

At first Geralt is confused because he never told Jaskier that he is a Firefighter, but then he remembered that Ciri talks a lot with Jaskier if he has the time.

“Yeah there was a fire, but gladly it was near the forest not directly in there.” Jaskier looks relieved.

“Some people made a barbeque there and the remaining hot ashe lit the dry grass on fire”

Geralt could see the disbelief in Jaskier’s face, he really couldn’t hide his emotions.

“I hope you and your crew are okay”

“We are good, it was just another fire because of careless people”

He didn’t wanna say drunk people in front of Ciri, but the look on Jaskier’s face showed him that he did understand what he meant with “careless”.

“Ciri, your Dad is truly a hero, he and his crew saved the forest”

Ciri grinned and cheered “yes they are all heroes, my Dad, uncle Eskel, uncle Lambert and Vesemir” 

New customers enter the place and Jaskier has to  leave Geralt and Ciri. They eat and drink and Ciri told stories from the Kindergarten and from her best friend Dara. Even more people entered the coffeeshop as they left. They waved Goodbye to Jaskier and left the busy place. With Ciri’s tiny hand in his own he was so happy he had a daughter like her and this little coffeeshop they could call their special place. 

[podcastenthusiast]

Lambert and Vesemir's whole dynamic in Witcher 3 is So Interesting.

Like, Lambert carries a lot of trauma about his childhood and being a witcher, and he harbors bitterness and resentment toward Vesemir specifically--or at least the system he represents. Vesemir is the only authority figure left to whom he can express his anger, true, but he also was complicit in the Trials happening and Lambert, rightfully so, isn't forgetting that.

When they all watch Uma writhe in pain from the Grasses, Vesemir says he hoped he would never have to see another person go through that again, and Lambert asks bitterly, but understandably, "Then why did you keep the table?"

His anger is valid! There's a measure of betrayal in that. It's like if someone stabbed you, then said they would never harm anyone else, and you find out years later they still have the knife.

I don't know why Vesemir kept that table, but it wasn't out of malice. It's clear it holds no pleasant memories for him either. Vesemir himself was put through the Trials once, and he has seen countless boys die. He cared about them and he hurt them. Clearly he feels sorrow and remorse, if not regret. He's trying, now, to do right by those few who remain. He loves them, okay? He really does.

Like Lambert, Vesemir also seems unable to let go of the past, though. The crumbling fortress and the table are reminders of everything he's suffered and lost, as well as the suffering he caused and witnessed.

They argue about it--whether to move on from Kaer Morhen, etc. Lambert detests any reminder of what was done to him. He claims to hate Kaer Morhen as a whole, too, probably does somewhat-- but he always comes back.

Lambert might hate Vesemir a little, might loathe how he never questions a witcher's purpose or the tests they were subjected to.

But here's the thing: Lambert still loves Vesemir. So fucking much.

He looks up to him, even. Maybe wants to be more like him. He talks about Vesemir more than anyone else. Quotes his words constantly. Tells Yennefer to show the old man respect. He dresses up like him when the kaer morons get drunk together. His impression of him is spot on. He'd hoped to inherit his sword someday.

Lambert, who blamed Vesemir for the deaths of the other boys and his hated witcher path, still wanted his old mentor to have a better death than he got.

He mourns him. They were family.

And yeah, Lambert's own father was an abusive dick, and I'm sure there's some of that tangled up in his feelings about Vesemir, too. Loving adults who've hurt you when you were a kid is complicated. It's painful and hard even when you know they were hurt, too, long before you were born. Lambert never forgave him and I doubt Vesemir expected him to.

I think Lambert sought something from Vesemir. Maybe an apology or answers or paternal approval--I don't know. I don't think he knew exactly how to ask for whatever it was he needed, and I don't think Vesemir was ever taught how to give it either.

Is it fucked up? Yeah. They all are. The generational trauma runs so deep.

[revoevokukil]

What's ur pov on the burning of birka and why this single elf burned the whole village after getting rejection from a single human women.At last I didn't know that any male elves find human women pretty enough for dating.

Ah, but it's a bit of question mark whether male elves are, indeed, averse to human women, isn't it? The incredibly high rate of mixing between Aen Seidhe and humans by the 1200s would not hold up otherwise.

I believe we hear about this topic for the first time in the Last Wish. In Geralt's view, pure-blooded elves are not known for admiring human women for their beauty; i.e. the reader is led to infer that male elves don't find human women attractive enough to have sex with, much less to pursue a romantic relationship with.

But Geralt is already, how to put it, compromised. He has met Yennefer. He is wont to wishful thinking, including dismissing any signals of Chireadan harbouring romantic feelings toward Yen. Geralt is likely looking for rationalisations to deny this possibility (besides, he likes Chireadan). Alas, Chireadan - a male elf - is very much infatuated with Yennefer of Vengeberg - a human sorceress.

Okay, but doesn't Yennefer have elven ancestry? Probably.

I wouldn't put too much faith in the words of any man who pulls any variation of the "tainted womb" argument with the woman they slept with, but then again this is the Witcher & I am partial to an elf who exploded the cousin of that line of argumentation onto the level of foreign and domestic policy, so whatever. It's always the women who are at fault anyway, am I right? Yennefer is born a hunchback; an elven changeling if there ever was one to dear pa, Janka. And it's only because of her vague and distant elven ancestry (and sorceresses' enchantments) that Chireadan could be taken with Yen in the first place, surely. What would that make elven males then? Bloodhounds? Because it's the elven women, who were blood traitors, surely, not elven men.

Ah. Well.

'Unbridled lust never leaves you, sex totally governs you; it’s a drive more powerful even than the survival instinct. To die? Why not, if one can fuck around beforehand. That is your entire philosophy.’ Geralt didn’t interrupt or comment, although he felt a strong desire to. ‘And what suddenly happens?’ Avallac’h continued. ‘Elves, bored by she-elves, court the always-willing human females. Bored she-elves give themselves, out of perverse curiosity, to human males, always full of vigour and verve.' - Avallac'h Tower of the Swallow

Avallac'h is pretty unambiguous - humans are easy and elves are ever so often looking for something that would keep them from turning into their precious Amell marble statues.

The entire discourse is an ethnic conflict classic in how it treats women's bodies, to be honest, but that's a longer story; I recently wrote about the political underpinnings of elven sexual relations. The realism of Sapkowski's fantastical races desires is sufficiently proven though, I think, in the very nature of the problems they are made to face. And not only long-lived elven women crave novelty (or intensity of emotion), and not only elven women should get the blame for it.

(Obvs blame game here is inherently fucked up in the first place, and a symptom.)

Male elves are not somehow biologically coded not to desire human women. Their contribution to the shared human-elf gene pool had to be pretty significant for it to have become hard at present day to find any human who would not have a dash of Seidhe Ichaer in their veins. In fact, the view Geralt parrots in the 1200s - when the Aen Seidhe have become a de facto ethnic minority - is probably more reflective of elven nationalist views adopted AFTER the experiment with coexistence and cooperation took a turn for the usual - ideological poisoning and resurgence of Them vs Us, persecution, cleansing & genocide.

Okay, sure. But what if it's just sex then? Romance is still laughable. Because did you read Auberon's & Ciri's interactions??? I did. One too many times, trust me.

But I don't think Aen Elle give definite proof. The reasons for all three rejecting Ciri 'the woman' on various levels - even while trying to get her with child as a matter of course - are pretty complex; not to forget that Ciri is not a grown woman yet and that this is - overall - her nightmarish becoming-of-age story, the loss of innocence, etc.

(For Auberon, romance is likely out of the question since Ciri's eyes remind him of his dead daughter - Lara - but sex might be achievable due to equal resemblance to Shiadhal, Lara's mother; and ends justify the means. There is also the deep-seated hatred for humanity as a whole, for humans cost Auberon his daughter's life & his ambitions which were installed within that life.

For Avallac'h, romantic notions are very much present in his idealization of the Swallow, Lara's daughter, but at the time Ciri offers herself to him, sex is still unacceptable; the humiliation too evident, the anger too deeply entrenched in ennobled suffering (even against the temptation of taking petty revenge), and the threat ever-present - of having the source of the projection of his romantic notions be over-written and erased in the course of the act, resulting in total loss of control over the narrative-Lara and narrative-Crevan Avallac'h has never let go of in his thoughts and forever-loving heart; like a true necromancer.

For Eredin, the notion of a storybook-worthy romance is veilled in a kind of wistful melancholy, irony, and indifference; because ultimately the notion is Ciri's projection, which he sees through and uses to further the elves' ends. They are both tools in the greater scheme of things - which orders them about - and while sex is not unacceptable, it is just unnecessary given the parts they presently have to play and, insofar, remains uninteresting. Ciri is Death and Eredin a corpse; a corpse can create nothing but itself through communion with Death. And that's not in the Plan of things.)

Elves are, by nature, a "not so rational" species; soundbite courtesy of Ida Emean. "Neither our race nor our power draws its strength from rationality. In spite of that it has endured for tens of thousands of years." Fey folk can be famously mercurial and temperamental, and, as we have learned, value beauty, novelty, and memory of life's particularity.

Bringing us to what happened at Birka, or the later Flaming Jealousy.

First of all - an elven farmer. Elves don't farm. So you have a mature elf who has tried to integrate, or a young elf who has been born into the current world order where elves are either giving up or losing their culture, magic (connected to land, which integrates them), and position in the society. Definitely not elven elite here, and we have already seen what elven elite can get involved in. However, upbringing matters in regulating expressed behaviour and in this instance we probably have an elf who is trying to go with the flow despite the difficulties; indeed, why not even entertain him a supporter of the co-existence and co-operation - khm, commingling, khm - ideals? In fact, would not pursuing a miller's daughter advance our elven farmer in the new social structure better than remaining isolationist along with his fellow elves? To then have this denied to you in the aforedescribed fashion is like the entire human society spitting in your face.

Secondly, nobody likes having their feelings mocked, especially if said feelings are deep and true.

Thirdly, it is said the elf exploded somewhat untypically for his race. That's what humans think due to elven haughtiness. Yet, if we take another explosion - Avallac'h at Ciri - then I cannot help but wonder how "untypical" it really was; if deeply personal matters are concerned (matters which give way for foundational memories in a long-lived species)? Especially given that jealousy and dramatic outcomes accompanied the Crevan-Lara-Cregennan triangle as well, and who knows how blind was Crevan's love or what was Lara's attitude to everything.

There is also the option that the story blames the miller's daughter. A culprit is needed, after all; a village was burned down! It better be that the cause for such tragedy is sufficiently dramatic and understandably horrible. A woman who slept around - with her relatives even! - just to spite an elf could serve as a solid wicked witch; co-existence advocates can blame her, while humans can blame the hotheaded, unreliable elf. Win-win. Given that we are given this information in Tower of the Swallow - the same book that provides a scene where Avallac'h says something eerily similar in effect about Lara's choices and their tragic consequences - the possibility of historical revisionism remains.

So I think the burning down of Birka can serve as great insight into how deeply and strongly elves - those cool and distant-seeming creatures - can feel, and how partial they can become once they have made their mind up about something or someone, especially if spurred on by a strong emotion. (Consider how elves, who value life inherently, genocided and subjected humans to servitude in their new homeworld; how it all could have happened after Lara's death or as a result of developments between Aen Seidhe and humanity.) But I also think it can show us how unexpectedly drastic can be the results of male jealousy, and how retroactively told stories can always find a reason and an ultimate culprit.

Personal feelings drive most of the Witcher's tragedy - beneath all the great Plans and machinations - and so, too, here.

[astaldis]

My June of Doom 2024 Masterlist

The fics are all for The Witcher (novels & books)

Altogether 52 prompts used and 24,138 words written.

Thank you so much, @juneofdoom for the inspiring prompts and for creating this gorgeous whump event 😘❤️

Prompts: 1 "Help me." & "Fetal Position", 5 "Bite" & "Swelling", 7 "What happened?"

Help Me, He Whimpers

While collecting firewood for the campfire, Jaskier goes missing in the forest. When Geralt finds him, a surprise is waiting for the Witcher. And it is not a nice one. (Words: 2,158)

Prompts: 2 "Scream", 7 "Nightmare", 23 Trembling, alt. "Please don't leave me."

The Witcher And The Kraken Of Hate

While safe in Kaer Morhen, Ciri is having a nightmare - again. To distract his child surprise from her dark memories, Geralt tells her a story - the story of a boy who became a Witcher in order to slay a giant kraken. Perhaps Ciri can even learn something from the story. Let's see if she will. (Words: 4,034)

Prompts: 3 "Hiding" & "Stalking", 7 "Stumbling", 11 "Collapse" 24 "Stitches" & "Bandages"

How I Met Your Uncle

Walking home through the forest one night, you are stalked by an eerie, white shape - a spectre. Will it freeze your heart and rip you apart or will someone come and save you? (Set shortly after the Battle of Brenna in which Coën did not die. Words: 2,083)

Prompts: 2 "Scream", 4 "Impalement", 5 "It's not as bad as it looks.", 22 "Cauterization" and 29 "I'm so cold."

A Spear Through The Chest

During a fight against the Usurper's men, Cahir saves Emhyr's life but is severely injured in the process. (Words: 1,749)

Prompt: 6 "Flinch"

"Ouch" Says The Bard

"Ouch!" Jaskier exclaims, flinching back from Milva ... (Words: 150)

Prompt: 8 "Chair"

The Chair

This chair is special, and definitely not one you would enjoy sitting on. Why? Read and find out. (Words: 300)

Prompts: 3 "Well, well, well ...", 4 "Does that hurt?", 6 "Flinch", 7 "Nightmare", 9 "Accident" & "Blame", 10 "Can you hear me?" & Fear, 11 "Collapse" & "Bleeding Out", 14 "What were you thinking?", 16 "At least it can't get any worse.", 18 "I'm fine." & "Headache, 20 "Panic Attack", 23 Trembling, 25 "Guilt", 27 "Or What?" & Defiance, 28 "Numb", 29 "Fever"

The Interrogation Game

Shortly after the fighting at Aretuza, Sabrina Glevissig bumps into somebody by accident. It is the enemy commander who gave the order to shoot the dimeritium-tipped arrows at them! (Words: 11,835)

Prompts: 12 "Grief", 25 "Guilt"

Can You Hold Me One More Time

After the battle of Aretuza, an exhausted Tissaia finds a little solace in Yennefer's arms. (Words: 300)

Prompts: 13 "Sacrifice", 14 "Human shield", 26 "Rage"

Red Rain

Francesca's world shatters when Filavandrel sacrifices himself for her.

(A Thanedd Coup Sonnet in iambic pentameter, Words: 112)

Prompt: 15 "Presumed Dead"

NOT DEAD!

One last time Fringilla looks back at the high walls of Cintra before she flees north. (Words: 300)

Prompts: 19 "Sobbing", Alt. "Broken Glass" & "Obedience"

Breaking

Cahir kills Gallatin (in iambic hexameters). (Words: 140)

Prompts: 24 "Blankets", 26 "Choke", 28 "Say something!", 30 "Shock" & "Asphyxiation"

The Grape

Jaskier, Radovid and their fluffy foundling Esmeralda are having a nice evening in front of the fireplace together. Until something decidedly not nice happens. Can Jaskier save his comma prince? (Words: 1,000)

[bardcore-jaskier]

♡ Jaskier rant/vent ♡

Hiya, here is a long ass rant/vent about my Netflix Witcher frustrations with how the show-runners are treating Jaskier's character. Because even though I love the books and games, I couldn't give a rat's ass about the changes Lauren made to the witcher plot. Because if it were to be adapted into a show following the source material word for word, page for page, it wouldn't be worth watching because I already know the damn story. It's refreshing to see these changes, new ideas etc. But ofc, I do still have a bone to pick with them.

The venting part:

Ok, so you know how in my bio it says that this is a Jaskier centric blog and that Jaskier deserves to be loved? Yeah, that's because I'm salty AF, the saltiest motherfucker on Earth right now. Because the way Netflix or...mostly Lauren treat Jaskier as a character on this show is atrocious! A beloved fan favorite they intend to milk but know not how, using him instead as nothing other than comedic relief and the occasional tool to move the plot in a certain direction.

They're stingy with his character development, with his screen time, with complexity. When we see him in pain it is later dismissed, as if it never happened. Where are his bruises and burns from Rience's torture? He was bleeding from his mouth, he had probably taken a few punches to his face. And Rience held his flame to Jaskier's fingers for at least five seconds, the heat of which compares to a lit match, nobody could walk away from something like that without second degree burns that would take many weeks to heal. And in Jaskier's case? Walking around with an exposed wound like that, touching things all the time, crawling across a dirty floor under the table when the witchers were fighting Voleth Mier? He realistically should have had a serious infection by now.

Also, tell me I am not the only one who noticed this, and I ask myself this quite often: Why OH WHY does it seem like the ONLY people who enjoy Jaskier's company, his presence, him in general, are the audiences he performs for and the elves? Everybody else seems to either shit on him the moment they see him or keep him around because he's loyal and amusing.

Idk about you, but I don't take kindly to the fact that the only character to treat Jaskier with respect and dignity in season 2 was Yennefer. Although THANK FUCK for Yennefer, I fucking LOVE her so much! But yeah.....

Like sure thing, Geralt evidently trusts Jaskier a lot, he is obviously fond of him, but to be honest I haven't seen enough of that fondness on screen to get the impression that their friendship is just like their bromance in the books. In season 1 they only show us scenes of Geralt barely putting up with Jaskier, ignoring him, insulting his singing (which is basically Jaskier's core, his life, his everything, it's what he lives and breathes for), barely admitting to their friendship out loud and then blaming Jaskier for everything that went wrong in his life! Like dude, I know Jaskier isn't exactly a pure and innocent cinnamon roll, I'm aware that he is a slutty little trouble magnet who can sometimes talk too much, but he is also a good friend! Even with whatever little screen time he gets, he is every inch the good friend that Dandelion is in the books!

In season 1 it's very clear that he cares, he asked Geralt if he's ok, he said "Talk to me", he tried to help Geralt deal with Borch's fake death, he offered Geralt an opportunity to go on a vacation, because he gives a fucking damn about him. Even in Cintra, when he asked Geralt for a favor, aka guard him, he made a comment about rubbing chamomile on his body, aka most likely massaging Geralt's sore arse muscles after a hunt.

But Geralt? Just the bare fucking minimum, saving Jaskier's life a few times, a few fond smiles here and there, otherwise looking rather uninterested in Jaskier's life. A brick wall that barely says anything nice to him. Or well, looks like talking to him in general is a chore.

And season 2? Whoooo boy! Jaskier still cares! Though he has to pry basic human decency out of Geralt in that jail cell at Oxenfurt:

- "We don't have time, we need to go"

- "Are you sure? Because the last time we saw eachother, you basically told me to fuck off, remember? And you left me on a mountain!"

- "Jaskier.."

- "Don't fucking Jaskier me, I'm talking to you, this is how this works!"

Jaskier still makes do with Geralt's pathetic arse "I need your help" and leaves EVERYTHING in his life behind to be there for Geralt. He left his Sandpiper smuggling business, he didn't even get to pack a bag, trailing after Geralt like a loyal dog, still wearing the shirt he was tortured in, with his dried blood on it, because Geralt needed his friend.

Thankfully Geralt seems to be doing better by Jaskier in the second season, but not nearly enough to be enough! I mean, Geralt came for Jaskier only when he needed something from him, didn't apologize to him until Jaskier hinted at the problem (Via discussing Yennefer's betrayal, she's been pushed into a corner, she's desperate, it's why people do stupid things and SAY stupid things). And Geralt's apology was shit, because he didn't offer it until Jaskier had accidentally guilt tripped him into it. And Jaskier? Yeah, no, he might have forgiven his friend for the Mountain, but he is still human, he's still got feelings and knew he deserved an apology. However, right there and then it clearly wasn't the right time, whatnot with Geralt's apology being too simple and nonchalant, not nearly serious and earnest enough to undo the hurt that had given birth to Burn Butcher Burn. Not to mention the dwarves being within earshot and the dangerous mission ahead. Which is why I understand why Jaskier brushed off Geralt's pathetic attempt at making amends with a joke.

When I was watching the Rare Species episode of season 1, the expression on Jaskier's face after getting shouted at by his best friend honestly broke my fucking heart. So when season 2 aired, I started binging it with high hopes of getting to see Geralt apologizing, them becoming friends again, Geralt being a better friend to Jaskier while also being badass as shit with his child surprise, battling monsters etc. But I did not expect it to fall so flat and I did not expect for LITERALLY EVERYONE to treat Jaskier like absolute dog shit. INCLUDING THE SHOW RUNNERS!

Geralt was basically using Jaskier for his loyalty, the dwarves found Jaskier's presence as the most annoying thing ever, Ciri literally fucking ignored him in all of their scenes together, the show-runners fucking forgot that Jaskier was tortured and filmed every scene with Joey in it as if Rience never happened, then for some dumb reason Lambert fucking had to be more of a prick than necessary, effectively alienating Jaskier with one single word, when that man had done nothing to deserve it!

FUCK!!!

[wolvesandfoxes25]

I personally don't think Jaskier stopped loving Geralt, a love 20 years in the making, you don't just let that go.

I think... it hurt too much to keep loving Geralt as openly as he did. He tried in season 1 to ask Geralt to choose him. He took it as a joke. Then, Geralt blamed him for his own bullshit and broke his heart.

We saw in season 2 the love Jaskier still held, but the resentment as well. Then when they're looking for Yennefer and Ciri, Jaskier asks him.."So, you've finally found what pleases you?" Uhh... enlighten me, what else is that supposed to mean? In terms of 'platonic?' I'm curious.

Season 3... more pining looks. The sad, puppy, longing eyes at Geralt.

And Radovid..Idk..I think that won't end very well. Especially if you read about his position in the game.. but who knows? I do think that Jaskier feels he found someone resembling Geralts attributes and loves that. Loves that he's truly seen and wanted.

I think he's chasing the love he has for Geralt in someone else.

But that's just my opinion regarding it because I've loved someone who didn't love me and looked for that person in everyone else.

[edgepunk]

💛💜 for the Witcher~

💛: What is a popular ship you just can't get behind, and why?

I 100% blame CDPR for this one, but Geralt/Triss. If you read the books, then I don't think I need to explain why I don't like it. But tbh CDPR didn't help Triss' character, because it's nasty she used Geralt's amnesia to get into his pants. Someone at CDPR has a mad hate boner for Yen.

And yet, it's a popular ship in the dudebro gamer spaces because Hot Redhead and "she's nice and Yennefer is so mean 🥺" and we have this gross misogynist Triss vs Yennefer bullshit which I am so tired of

If they really wanted Geralt to have an LI that isn't Yen, why didn't they just go with Fringilla? Their relationship wasn't anything special but at least it was consensual. Make up some bs on how she ended up at Kaer Morhen, the games are practically CDPR's post-canon fanfics anyway

💜: Which character is way hotter than everyone else seems to think?

This is a tough one, because I've seen people thirsting for every major and side character. There are micro communities on here dedicated to more obscure characters. I don't know, really.